Scheme for remote control of the output power of a transmitter in a smart SFP transceiver

ABSTRACT

A scheme is described for remote control of the output power of a transmitter in a smart SFP (or SFP+, or XFP) duplex (or BiDi, or SWBiDi) transceiver in a communication system using an operating system with OAM and PP functions, an OAM, PP &amp; Payload Processor, a transceiver, an optical power meter (optional), a BERT, and an optical link in the field.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/208,301, filed Aug. 11, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to a scheme for remote control of an electro-optical parameter of a smart transceiver in an optical fiber communication system, and more particularly, to a scheme for remote control of the output power of a transmitter in the smart transceiver. The applications of embodiments of the present invention include a smart transceiver installed in communication systems without optical amplifiers as well as optically amplified wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) communication systems, for example, such as long-haul transmission networks, access networks of fiber to the x (FTTx), passive optical network (PON) networks, and wireless backhauls between a base station and an antenna tower or a remote radio head (RRH), but not limited only to these systems. A smart transceiver is an intelligent transceiver which can execute Ethernet in the First Mile Operation, Administration, and Maintenance (EFM OAM) functions specified in IEEE 802.3ah, including an electrical loopback configuration and the proprietary protocol (PP) functions. The type of the smart transceiver includes a smart small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver, a smart small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) transceiver, and a smart 10 gigabit small form-factor pluggable (XFP) transceiver, and a Duplex smart transceiver as well as a bidirectional (BiDi) smart transceiver and a single wavelength bidirectional (SWBiDi) smart transceiver.

BACKGROUND

Setting the output power of a transmitter in a transceiver at an optimum level is very desirable because it (1) helps to avoid the overloading of a receiver, (2) provides the link optimization of an optically amplified WDM communication system, and (3) reduces power consumption. The optimum output power of the transmitter depends solely on each system in which the transceiver is operating. Here all the communication systems are grouped as follows: (1) communication systems without optical amplifiers, and (2) optically amplified WDM communication systems.

For the communication systems without optical amplifiers, it is not rare that a service provider encounters occasions of deploying a transceiver whose transmitter output power set by the transceiver supplier might overload the receiver at the other end of the communication system when the link loss is much smaller, for example, a very short span of the fiber link, than the typical link budget of the transceiver. To avoid the overloading, an optical attenuator of fixed attenuation is frequently inserted just before the receiver, which is an extra expenditure.

On the other hand, when the link loss of the communication system is a little bit bigger than expected, the service provider sometimes needs to increase slightly the output power of the transmitter, for example, by around 1 dB while the increase is within the limit of the specification of the transmitter.

For the optically amplified WDM communication systems, it is a common practice to execute the optimization of the link composed of multiple transceivers running at different wavelengths, optical multiplexes (MUX's), optical amplifiers, link fibers, and optical demultiplexers (DEMUX's), through tuning of an individual channel transceiver. Particularly, the output power of the transmitter of each transceiver is optimized/equalized such that one channel, for example, would not predominantly determine the overall performance of the link with optical amplifiers.

For the reduction of power consumption, setting the output power of the transmitter at the optimum rather than at the higher output power typically set at the factory of the transceiver supplier will reduce significantly the power consumption of a communication system where many transceivers are used through the accumulation in saving of small amount of power consumption of each transceiver; this will also reduce the power consumption in cooling the communication system at the central office (CO) of the service provider which effectively saves the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) of the service provider; this will also prolong the life span of this communication system, particularly the transmitter of the transceiver.

A transceiver will, in general, be benefitted when it is equipped with the adjustability of the output power of a transmitter in the transceiver as described above. Because (1) a communication system consists of, at least, two transceivers where the transmitter of one transceiver is transmitting a signal to the receiver of another transceiver, and (2) the optimum output power of the transmitter depends solely on each system in which the transceiver is operating, the controllability of the output power of the transmitter in one transceiver by another transceiver will be a desirable feature. This is particularly true if two transceivers are physically separated far away from each other. In other words, a remote controllability of the output power of the transmitter of one transceiver by another transceiver will be very valuable, considering the facts that (1) the adjustment of its output power can be executed by the technician at the CO where all the necessary test equipments are accessible easily and (2) another technician does not have to be present simultaneously at the site of the transceiver which is in need of adjustment of its output power; this will save a lot of capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX) by the service provider/operator.

SUMMARY

According to embodiments of the present invention, a scheme of remote control of an output power of a transmitter in a smart transceiver may comprise a smart transceiver at a first end of the optical link, the optical link, a transceiver, an OAM, PP & Payload processor, an operating system with the OAM and the PP functions, an optical power meter at a second end of the optical link (optional), and a Bit Error Rate Tester (BERT). A PP similar to OAM protocol data unit (OAMPDU) of EFM OAM is a message protocol of changing or monitoring the output power of the transmitter in the smart transceiver.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a smart transceiver at a first end of the optical link can perform the EFM OAM and the PP functions in passive mode including the electrical loopback and the PP functions. The smart transceiver is equipped with (1) a circuitry which can adjust the output power of the transmitter and (2) a circuitry which can measure the Tx output power or the Tx bias current of the transmitter in the smart transceiver upon receiving a commanding message in a PP from the transceiver at a second end of the optical link. The type of the smart transceiver may be SFP, or SFP+, or XFP, and Duplex, or BiDi, or SWBiDi.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an optical link may comprise an optical MUX, optical amplifier(s), optical fiber(s), and an optical DEMUX.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a transceiver at a second end of the optical link can perform the EFM OAM and the PP in active mode. This transceiver can send out a commanding message of the adjustment or measurement of the output power of the transmitter in the smart transceiver in a first end of the optical link using a PP.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration for a scheme of remote control of the output power of a transmitter in a smart duplex transceiver.

FIG. 2 shows a detail functional block diagram of a smart duplex transceiver.

FIG. 3 shows a procedure for the remote control of the output power of a transmitter in a smart duplex transceiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, a scheme of remote control of the output power of a transmitter in a smart transceiver includes an operating system with OAM and PP functions 100, an OAM, PP & Payload Processor 101, a duplex transceiver 102, a pair of optical fiber jumpers 103 and 108, an optical link 104, a pair of optical fiber jumpers 105 and 107, and a smart duplex transceiver 106, an optical power meter 109 (optional) and a BERT 110.

As shown in FIG. 2, a smart duplex transceiver includes an optical receiver 200, an electrical path 201, an OAM, PP & Payload Processor 202, a Loopback circuit 203, an electrical path 204, a Tx output power control circuit 205, electrical paths 206, 207, and 208, a Tx output power monitoring circuit 209, an electrical path 210, and an optical transmitter 211.

The following is a procedure, shown in FIG. 3, for the remote control of the output power of a transmitter in a smart duplex transceiver 106.

It is assumed, but not required, during this procedure that the transmission is error free in either direction, from the transceiver 102 to the smart transceiver 106, or from the smart transceiver 106 to the transceiver 102, because the PP messages of controlling the transmitter output power are to be exchanged between transceivers 102 and 106. This is typically met since almost all the systems in service are designed to run in error free region with even an extra system margin of few dB.

Sometimes, a variable optical attenuator might be needed between the output of the transmitter in the transceiver 102 and the optical jumper 103, as well as between the optical jumper 108 and the input of the receiver in the transceiver 102, if the total link loss is very small and the overloading of receivers of two transceivers 102 and 106 is expected.

Sometimes, the transmission with default settings of the communication system over the optical link 104 might not be error free. In this case, all the PP messages might need to be sent repeatedly to make sure that the PP messages are received correctly by the transceiver at the receiving side.

Operation One

The following is the first operation 301. Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to configure the smart duplex transceiver 106 in a loopback mode to find the BER with the current settings of the transceiver. For this, a loopback OAM Protocol Data Unit (OAMPDU) generated at the operating system with OAM and PP functions 100 is sent to an OAM, PP & Payload Processor 101 where the loopback OAMPDU is encapsulated serially with the payload, if there is any. During this period, disable the output from the BERT 110. The output is sent to the transceiver 102 where the electrical signal of the loopback OAMPDU message is converted into an optical signal. Then the optical signal of the loopback message is transmitted through the optical jumper 103, the optical link 104, an optical jumper 105, and arrives at the smart diplex transceiver 106.

The optical signal arrived at the smart duplex transceiver 109 is then converted into an electrical signal at the receiver 200. The electrical signal is transmitted through the electrical path 201, and arrives at an OAM, PP & Payload Processor 202 where the loopback OAMPDU message is separated and executed. Now only the remaining payload, if there is any, passes through the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 202, an electrical path 207, and arrives at the optical transmitter 210 where the electrical payload signal is converted into an optical signal.

The optical signal of the payload from the smart transceiver 106 is transmitted through an optical jumper 107, the optical link 104, an optical jumper 108, and arrives at the transceiver 102 where the optical signal is converted into an electrical signal. The electrical signal transmits to the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 101. This completes the configuration in the loopback mode.

Operation Two

The following is the second operation 302. Enable the output from the BERT 110 and a pseudo-random bit stream is sent out at the same data rate of the communication system to the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 101. During this transmission period, do not send out any OAMPDU's and PP's in the data stream. This pseudo-random data signal will be transmitted through the path described above during the preparation of the loopback mode and then will return to the error detector of the BERT for the BER measurement. Record the measured BER.

Operation Three

The following is the third operation 303. Disable the output of the BERT 110.

Operation Four

The following is the fourth operation 304. Disable the loopback configuration of the smart transceiver 106 using the operation (1) above with a disable loopback OAM Protocol Data Unit (OAMPDU).

Operation Five

The following is the fifth operation 305. Send an output power monitor PP message generated at the operating system with OAM and PP functions 100 to the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 101. The output is sent to the transceiver 102 where the electrical signal of the output power monitor PP message is converted into an optical signal. Then the optical signal of the output power monitor PP message is transmitted through the optical jumper 103, the optical link 104, an optical jumper 105, and arrives at the smart duplex transceiver 106. This PP message is for requesting the output power monitoring circuit 209 to measure the Tx output power or the Tx bias current and then sending it to the transceiver 102 in another PP message generated in the transceiver 106.

The optical signal arrived at the smart duplex transceiver 106 is then converted into an electrical signal at the receiver 200. The electrical signal is transmitted through the electrical path 201, and arrives at the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 202 where the output power monitor PP message is separated. An execution message of the output power monitor PP message is sent to the Tx output power monitor circuit 209 which measures the output power of the transmitter 211 accordingly. The measured Tx output power or the measured Tx bias current is processed in the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 202 and sent along the electrical path 207 to the transmitter 211 with the payload where it is converted into an optical signal.

The optical signal is transmitted through the optical jumper 107, the optical link 104, and the optical jumper 107, and arrives at the receiver of the transceiver 102 where the optical signal is converted back into an electrical signal. This signal is processed at the OAM, PP & Processor 101, and the measured Tx output power or the measured Tx bias current is read out at the Operating System w/OAM and PP Functions 100. Record the Tx output power or the Tx bias current.

Operation Six

The following is the sixth operation 306. Measure the optical power out of the fiber jumper 108 using the Optical Power Meter 109 and record the optical power if the optical link 104 does not include any optical amplifiers.

Operation Seven

The following is the seventh operation 307. Send an output power adjustment PP message, a message that sets the Tx output power at a specified value, generated at the operating system with OAM and PP functions 100 to the OAM, PP & Payload Processor 101. The output is sent to the transceiver 102 where the electrical signal of the output power adjustment PP message is converted into an optical signal. Then the optical signal of the output power adjustment PP message is transmitted through the optical jumper 103, the optical link 104, an optical jumper 105, and arrives at the smart diplex transceiver 106.

The optical signal arrived at the smart duplex transceiver 106 is then converted into an electrical signal at the receiver 200. The electrical signal is transmitted through the electrical path 201, and arrives at an OAM, PP & Payload Processor 202 where the output power adjustment PP message is separated. An execution message of the output power adjustment is sent to the Tx output power control circuit 205 which adjusts the output power of the transmitter 211 accordingly.

Operation Eight

The following is the eighth operation 308. Repeat operation (5) to read out the Tx output power or the Tx bias current at the new setting. Record this.

Operation Nine

The following is the ninth operation 309. Repeat operation (7). Repeat operation (5) and record the Tx output power. Check that the Tx output power is consistent with what was set or expected.

Operation Ten

The following is the tenth operation 310. Repeat operation (8) and operation (9) if needed.

Operation Eleven

The following is the eleventh operation 311. Repeat operation (1) and operation (2). Confirm if the measured BER is indeed what is expected.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for remotely controlling output power of a first transceiver in a communication system, the apparatus comprising: one or more optical links; and a second transceiver coupled to the one or more optical links and configured to communicate with the first transceiver located at a remote location, wherein the second transceiver is configured to: send a monitoring message for monitoring transmit output power or bias current of the first transceiver located at the remote location over the one or more optical links, the first transceiver being configured to receive the monitoring message and measure the transmit output power or bias current of the first transceiver; in response to the monitoring message, receive information from the first transceiver over the one or more optical links, the information comprising data relating to an amount of transmit output power or transmit bias current of the first transceiver; and send an adjustment message to the first transceiver over the one or more optical links for changing the amount of the transmit output power or transmit bias current of the first transceiver.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second transceiver is further configured to: send a first message to enable a loopback configuration mode of the first transceiver; send a test signal to the first transceiver in the loopback configuration mode; in response to the test signal, receive a response signal from the first transceiver; measure bit error rate (BER) on the received response signal; and send a second message to disable the loopback configuration mode of the first transceiver.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the test signal comprises a pseudo-random data signal.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power meter configured to measure optical power on one or more fiber jumpers disposed between the one or more optical links and the second transceiver.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver comprises a pluggable transceiver or a small form-factor pluggable transceiver.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the small form-factor pluggable transceiver comprises: a duplex small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver, a bidirectional small form-factor pluggable (BiDi SFP) transceiver, a single wavelength bidirectional small form-factor pluggable (SWBiDi SFP) transceiver, a duplex small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) transceiver, a bidirectional small form-factor pluggable plus (BiDi SFP+) transceiver, or a single wavelength bidirectional small form-factor pluggable plus (SWBiDi SFP+) transceiver.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first transceiver is configured to support a bit rate of at least one gigabits per second (Gps).
 8. A method of remotely controlling a first transceiver in a communication system, comprising: receiving, at the first transceiver, a monitoring message over one or more optical links from a second transceiver located at a remote location; in response to the received monitoring message, measuring transmit output power or transmit bias current of the first transceiver; sending to the second transceiver over the one or more optical links information relating to the measured transmit output power or transmit bias current of the first transceiver; receiving an adjustment message over the one or more optical links from the second transceiver for adjusting the transmit output power or transmit bias current of the first transceiver; and adjusting the transmit output power or transmit bias current of the first transceiver, based on the received adjustment message from the second transceiver.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving a message from the second transceiver to enable a loopback configuration mode of the first transceiver; and in response to the message, configuring the first transceiver to be in a loopback configuration mode.
 10. An apparatus in an optical communication system, comprising: a memory; one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to: receive a monitoring message over one or more optical links from a remote transceiver; in response to the received monitoring message, measure an amount of transmit output power or transmit bias current of the apparatus; send to the remote transceiver over the one or more optical links information relating to the measured amount of transmit output power or transmit bias current of the apparatus; receive an adjustment message over the one or more optical links from the remote transceiver for changing the amount of transmit output power or transmit bias current of the apparatus; and adjust the transmit output power or transmit bias current of the apparatus, based on the received adjustment message from the remote transceiver.
 11. An electro-optical transceiver comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory; a monitoring circuit coupled to the processor and configured to measure an amount of transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver; a control circuit coupled to the processor and configured to control the amount of transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a monitoring message for monitoring an amount of the transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver over one or more optical links from a remote system; in response to the monitoring message, measure an amount of transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver via the monitoring circuit; and send to the remote system over the one or more optical links information relating to the measured amount of transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver.
 12. The electro-optical transceiver of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive an adjustment message over the one or more optical links from the remote system for changing an amount of the transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver; and adjust the amount of the transmit output power of the electro-optical transceiver, via the control circuit, based on the received adjustment message from the remote system.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a pluggable transceiver or a small form-factor pluggable transceiver.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the small form-factor pluggable transceiver comprises: a duplex small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver, a bidirectional small form-factor pluggable (BiDi SFP) transceiver, a single wavelength bidirectional small form-factor pluggable (SWBiDi SFP) transceiver, a duplex small form-factor pluggable plus (SFP+) transceiver, a bidirectional small form-factor pluggable plus (BiDi SFP+) transceiver, or a single wavelength bidirectional small form-factor pluggable plus (SWBiDi SFP+) transceiver.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is configured to support a data rate of at least one gigabits per second (Gps). 